Joseph La Piana (born 1966) is an American artist based in Brooklyn.
Work
La Piana’s body of work includes sculptures, works on paper, and paintings.
Earlier exhibitions by La Piana include “The Los Angeles Text Project 2,” curated by Eric Shiner and presented by the Andy Warhol Foundation in 2011. In 2008 and 2013, La Piana exhibited works at New York’s Robert Miller Gallery.
Tension Series
In 2015, La Piana exhibited “Tension,” a site-specific installation utilizing 2,600 feet of yellow latex to adorn the interior of a warehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
In 2019, La Piana installed his multi-site “Tension Sculpture” series along New York’s Park Avenue, located between 53rd and 70th street.
The installation was presented by the New York City Department of Parks and the Fund for Park Avenue. Consisting of five sculptures with varying dimensions, the pieces incorporate yellow synthetic rubber stretched between stainless steel armatures.
Personal life
Born to Italian immigrants, La Piana was born in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, raised in Queens,
[ and now lives and works in Brooklyn. In an interview with '']Life + Times
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
'', La Piana said he often would draw, paint, and sculpt anything he could get his hands onto from an early age.
Education and art career
La Piana received a bachelor's degree from Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
in 1988. He has been described as a self-taught artist, in the context that he did not participate in any program where his studies related to art.[Amanda FitzSimons (March 24, 2008). State of the Artist. ''Women's Wear Daily''.] La Piana has lived in Manhattan for nearly his entire life, aside from a 10-year period during which he lived in California.
Exhibitions
*Park Avenue Tension Sculptures, Park Avenue New York - 2019
*''Tension'' & ''30 Contiguous Works'', Denis Gardarin Gallery, Red Hook Brooklyn (Solo) - 2015Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
, Italy, The Venice Text Project (Solo) - 2011
* The Andy Warhol Museum, Los Angeles, The Los Angeles Text Project2 (Solo) - 2011
* Fireplace Projects, East Hampton, NY (Group) - 2007
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Piana, Joseph
20th-century American painters
1966 births
Painters from Brooklyn
Living people
Artists from Queens, New York
21st-century American painters
Florida State University alumni